*The Goat Sector in Spain: Situation, Local Breeds, and Production Systems DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82539*

a national database [7]. Eighty-one percent of slaughtered animals came from the commercial category kid, 4% from chevron, and 15% from adult animals.

South (Andalusia), Canary Islands, southeast (Murcia), and northeast (Cataluña) are the four regions where more than 60% of the total animals were slaughtered (1,296,981 heads—9842 Tm of goat meat, **Figure 4**). Almost onequarter of goat meat produced was exported (2244 Tm) and the main destinations were inside the EU (36.7% France, 22.0% UK, and 9.4% Portugal) [6].

In 2016, goat meat represented 2.9% of the total commercial value of exports and imports of small ruminants (which included live animals and fresh and frozen meat from goat and ovine). The values of exportations reached 8.61 million euros and importations represented 1.98 million euros [7].

Total production of 5.6% (519.6 Tm) is commercialized as organic production certification, 66% coming from Andalusia and 26% from Castilla la Mancha. Also, the incorporation of new logotypes as "autochthons breed" (**Figure 5**) is a current initiative applied in the sector to improve commercialization and consumer information [7]. In this sense, there are two types of labels: one common for any species and another label specific for each species.

Spanish data concerning only goat meat consumption is not available because in the national reports values are presented with ovine meat. The consumption of small ruminant meat has declined progressively during the last decade, decreasing from 2.67 kg/person/year in 2006 to 1.55 kg/person/year in 2016 [6].

For a promising future for the goat sector in Spain it would be necessary to implement consumer education using awareness campaigns [9]. Those activities would have as foal increase sensibility about goat species and encourage the consumption of this type of meat, which currently is frequently associated with special occasions. Effective strategies to promote the national goat sector would be to transmit to the general public the characteristics, social values, and functions that this species has on national territory, as well as the development of diverse national or international strategies, along with the support and promotion of different products according to their quality, characteristics, and origin.
